This Tuesday, the resolution of LOSS VEC III and thus the doubt which worried the government of Aragon was dispelled: Stellantis will receive 133 million to be able to develop its battery gigafactory in Figueruelas (Zaragoza). This was announced by the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereuduring the fourth edition of the Impulse pricingin the Aragonese capital, organized by Anfac (manufacturers), Faconauto (dealers), Sernatuo (suppliers) and the Ibercaja Foundation.
With this help, the Stellantis Group guarantees the most anticipated project in recent years in Aragon linked to the electric car. The granting of these more than 133 million is added to the 14 million euros of LOSS for decarbonization, which the minister announced this Monday in Barcelona. So much so that the multinational received almost around 300 million eurosof which 26 are loans and the rest are grants.
In this sense, Minister Hereu underlined during the awards gala organized at the Cité de la Mobilité du Pavillon du Pont Zaha Hadid, that his ministry devotes “a good part of the funds to the automotive sector, with the industrial program of the largest financial endowment in our history in favor of the automobile industry.
Jorge Azcón considered that this concession is “an extraordinary boost”. “Aragon thank you Europe and the Ministry of Industry that aid for a future gigafactory in Aragon has been resolved. Justice has been done and the project has received enough money to look to the future,” he added.
Likewise, to promote the development of Aragonese industry and the attraction of new investments, he recalled that “it is necessary more investments in the electricity network», essential to benefit from the production capacity of renewable energies.
It should also be remembered that the Government of Aragon granted a subsidy to Stellantis in the amount of 10 million euros (4 million in 2023 and 6 million in 2024) to facilitate the electrification of the power station with the allocation of the STLA Small platform.
The Stellantis Gigafactory
The Government of Aragon considers the implementation of the Stellantis battery gigafactory in Zaragoza as “strategic”. “The current automobile factory of this company is the flagship of the auxiliary industry of the Community and, for this reason, the Government of Aragon has been, is and will be committed to the factory and to the entire automotive industry,” he said. he report delivered by Jorge Azcón to the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, before the bilateral meeting this Thursday.
In this document I requested the rapid resolution of LOSS VEC III, which occurred this Wednesday and which will be published in the coming days. This responds to the wishes of the Government of Aragon, whose resolution makes the factory “a reality”, after months of long waiting.
With the installation of the Stellantis battery gigafactory in Zaragoza, Aragon will position itself not only in Spain but in Europe as a new point of reference in the electrical sector. In addition, it must be taken into account that Stellantis has generated, during its years of existence in Aragon, an automotive ecosystem, which employs more than 25,000 people in total and allows 150 auxiliary businesses. Give birth to a powerful sector in the community that represents the 25% of GDPi.e. five points above the Spanish average.
Stellantis and the Chinese group CALT
The calculations that the company considers in the investment of this project are approximately 3 billion euros and that will mean some 3,000 positions of work. The gigafactory will have two partners, Stellantis and the Chinese giant CALTa world reference in electric batteries, with which it has sealed an alliance. This company started with cell phone batteries.
This Figueruelas gigafactory will be the fourth that Stellantis will deploy in Europe, after France, Germany and Italy, after having competed with Portugal.
It must also be taken into account that according to statements by the Chinese Ambassador, Yao Jing, made at the end of September in Zaragoza, the MG brand is also considering establishing itself in the province to install the first factory in Europe.
In this regard, the current and former director of the Stellantis factory in Figueruelas, Antonio Cobodefended this week at the Aragon Think Tank of the CEOE, of which he is president, that battery factories “anchor the industry of the automobile. And he warned: “Countries that don’t have them will lose their vehicle assembly plants because their costs are very high and will make their cars uncompetitive.”
He also analyzed that currently this sector is run by the “Chinese”: “We will have a facility here that we will use in Europe and it will be good”, and he added: “it will be with Chinese capital and benefits for China“. “The difference is that this represents a change towards a new economic model or a new globality, with different cultures and values. This is going to be a challenge for Europe and for the West,” he said.
